The Hardship of Elektra Perkins
by Atomi
Summary: Although only a couple of years have passed in the Dumping Ground, Elektra Perkins has changed in many ways. One thing that hasn't changed is her constant disputes with the other kids, particularly Liam! But she has also found herself in a rather sticky situation...and it's only getting worse. Includes LiamxElektra.
1. Chapter 1

He ran his fingers through my hair and put his face close to mine. He spoke softly.

"Little Elektra". He seemed to be grinning, but perhaps it was just a smirk. The other guys snickered.

"Dres". I stared straight back into his green eyes. I knew what was coming next- I knew the ritual all too well.

"Tomorrow" Dreslin began with a totally patronizing tone to his voice. "I want you to pop over to the convenience store and get me some ciggies and a bottle of vodka. I'm craving both." We both knew that what he meant by "get" wasn't casually ambling into the shop and paying for the goods. Oh, no. The rest of the gang were still sniggering, but he stopped the patronizing tone all of a sudden. He looked into my eyes once more. "You got that, babes?"

I nodded. "Got it." Dreslin stepped back.

"Good." He looked at the rest of his gang who signalled that they should leave. "We'd better go, Elektra. Remember, tomorrow- same time, same place, you turn up with the goods, and everything will be better- for the both of us." He didn't embrace me; just turned and left the bridge with the rest of his gang following closely behind.

It was getting dark, and I knew I should be getting back. So I started to make my own way back to the Home. Well, it's not much of a home, but it's somewhere. We care kids call it the dumping ground. When I first arrived at the D.G. I wasn't expecting it to be up to much- I anticipated padlocks on the food cupboards, overcrowding, other nasty, rowdy teenagers and staff that kicked us around in the dirt, but it's not like that at all. Some of the kids are annoying- Gus is often pestering us with that blooming notebook, and Carmen acts like we're BFFL's. Dream on, sweet pea...

But the most annoying one is Liam. God I can't stand him. He's always playing tricks on me. Why me? It's always him that starts it. So I generally get revenge. One time he sneaked into my room and nicked my diary. I entered the games room to find him and Frank hunched over and laughing at the things I had written. But I got my own back. I knew all along that Frank was only an accomplice and felt it would only be worthwhile to prank Liam. So I told him I needed a chat with him in the toys cupboard. Liam seemed quite overwhelmed by the idea for some reason. Well, before he knew what was coming to him I'd pushed him into the tiny, cramped cupboard, shut the door and locked it. Bear in mind it was a hot, stifling summer at this time. To make it a little more interesting, I turned up the heating. Boy was he begging for mercy after 3 and half hours! Mike discovered what had happened, and as usual I got the blame.

Could do nothing but grin fondly at the recollection of that memory, as I walked swiftly back in the ever growing darkness of the evening. Liam and I certainly weren't the best of mates but we sure knew how to amuse ourselves.

When I arrived back that Tracy girl was at the door with her arms folded and a somewhat irritated expression on her face, as if she was saying "I _told_ you not to stay out so long, you naughty girl!" I grimaced as I noticed a resemblance of my mother in Tracy's expression. Tracy broke my line of thought.  
"Where were you? Gina's made me stay up for an entire hour just to wait for you to come back!"

"Sorry, Tracy- I guess I didn't realise how late it was. I, um... just thought I'd nip over to see how Cali was doing" I said guiltily, although I actually haven't seen her for months (But Tracy could be none the wiser as I have used Cali as an easy excuse on several occasions!). I glanced at the clock in the hallway. It was 12:30. No wonder she'd been worried.

"I'll let you off this time" Tracy said. "But don't expect to be let off this lightly again. Now, bed. Go." I obeyed. My entire body suddenly felt overcome by tiredness by the time I reached the top of the stairs.

"Why are you up so late?" It was Liam. He too, had his arms folded and was leaning against the wall, but instead had a rather amused expression on his face.

"None of your business" I muttered, turning away from him and slumping off to my room.

"Ooh, has Elektra done something naughty?" he mocked. I chose to ignore him. I was too tired to put up a fight anyway.

I was relieved when I entered my beautiful blue bedroom. It's quite a luxury that we get our own private place- rather hard to believe actually. I just fell onto my bed and looked up at the blue fairy lights I'd arranged across the ceiling and wall and I turned to look across to my blue matching desk and at the Blondie and My Chemical Romance posters I'd stuck up next to it. I'd really done my best to make it my own, and right now it was the safest place to be.

I fell asleep without another thought.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke the next morning to the sound of bickering children and dishes being clashed around downstairs...uh oh. I'd overslept. I glanced at the clock. It had just gone midday! I'd lost several precious hours when I could've been completing the tasks Dreslin had set me...

I didn't bother to get dressed as I was still in my day clothes from yesterday. I was wearing a white t-shirt, my favourite blue leather jacket and matching blue skinny jeans- though you could also say brown as they were caked in mud. I chose to swap my leather jacket for my purple hoodie for reasons which I will explain later on.

"Ugh" I groaned. "The other kids must think I'm a total slob." I quickly pulled on my converses and tiptoed as carefully as I could down the stairs. But Gina was there.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" she smiled at me. "Sorry we didn't wake you. We thought you might want to catch up on a few hours sleep as you look so exhausted, poor mite." I guess Gina was nice but she was also downright patronising in the way she spoke.

"I'm ok" I walked past her and made for the front door.

"Hey hey, don't you want some lunch first?"

"Uh- No, I'm alright thanks." Gina walked up to me with a concerned expression on her face.

"Are you sure? You look so much skinnier now than you used to. I'm really worried about you."

I had to act quickly, and sound convincing. "I'm fine honestly. Look, the reason I don't want anything is because Dres is taking me to a cafe to eat in half an hour. I don't want to spoil my appetite."

"I see. You haven't been talking about your boyfriend for quite a while until now. Is your relationship doing well?"

I was surprised at how personal Gina could be. "We're fine." I'd known Dres fo 6 months. That's enough to have a stable relationship, right? Anyway, he'd been really sweet to me, buying me gifts and even trusting me enough to introduce me to his gang, the Death Heads. He was rather unusual looking, with black spiky hair, and guyliner which he wore everyday. Definately my type. I shrugged Gina's hand off my shoulder and quickly left. Thankfully she didn't come after me.

Although I had several hours, it was going to take some serious thinking on which shops to target in order to get the ciggies and vodka. Darn security gets better every day in this town. After a couple of hours of walking around and figuring what to do I spotted a little corner store at the edge of Willis Street. It looked rather obscure; a perfect place.

At this point I put up my hood and kept my head down. I walked casually over to the shop and entered. I had already planned my escape route- away and into the bushes on the far side of Birchway Park on the other side of the road. I had done this several times before and had only gotten away because I was so good at it. I walked up to the counter behind which the man was reading _The Sun_.

"Uh..I'll have 6 packs of cigarettes and your strongest vodka"

"What brand?"

"Um..." I remembered Dreslin's favourite. "Thunder Toffee, 75cl."

The man took the bottle and ciggies from the shelf and placed them on the counter.

"That's £30.88" he began, but I had already taken off.

I flew across the road, clutching the goods in my hands. I heard the man scream abuse just as I reached the bushes. I ducked under and crawled. I knew this route lead me to the other side of the street, and from there I could sneak through the East Alleyway which led to the town centre. It had gone smoothly.

I was feeling quite relaxed until I reached the town centre. I was just walking along gazing into my favourite punk clothes shop when I heard that familiar, strong cockney accent calling my name. I quickly stuffed the cigarettes and bottle up my hoodie and turned around to face Liam.

"What do you want?"

"We were just wondering what you were up to, moping around town all by yourself". Frank was standing behind him.

"Oh, um...I..." I shifted from one foot to the other. "I just went to the cafe with Dres. It was great." I didn't dare look him in the eye. I knew he didn't believe me.

"...Why do you have your hands stuffed up your hoodie?"

There was an awkward silence. All I could settle with was "None of you business" and run off as fast as I could. I could hear them both calling my name but I didn't dare stop. I headed for the park- I had nothing better to do. When I reached the bridge- the meeting place for Dreslin and his gang- I collapsed onto the floor. I decided to just wait for the time to come.

I must've dozed off, because when I opened my eyes I could hear several teenage lads talking, laughing and coming this way.

"Did you get them, Elektra?" was the first thing Dreslin said when he appeared.

"Yes" I handed him the vodka and the ciggies.

"Excellent." He opened a pack of cigarettes and handed them round to his friends. "Want one?" He held one in front of my face. I took it and he lit it for me.

"Ah, thunder toffee- you remembered my favourite, babe." He opened the bottle with the smoking ciggie still in his mouth and took a swig. The other boys started crooning for some too.

"Shut up! This is _my_ vodka. And Elektra is _my_ girl."

He took another long drag from his cigarette and drew up close to my face once again. He blew the smoke over my face.

"I have a bigger task for you, much like the one you did for me on Tuesday. You will probably be happier about this. I know you've been craving it for a long time now."

I knew what he was talking about. Dreslin had introduced me to the wonders of heroin about a month ago at one of his nightclub gatherings with the lads- he very rarely lets me join. He'd let me try his secret stash of heroin- and I've been growing more and more addicted ever since. The need for heroin sometimes overwhelms me so much I can't sleep. So now Dres and I have made a pact. Whenever he tells me to get some heroin, I am allowed 5 percent. I guess it's pretty reasonable, after everything he does for me. Or, everything he used to do for me anyway...

But I have a big secret from him. I just crave heroin so badly...I just needed more. So now I have been stealing from Dreslin's secret hoard. He hasn't found out yet. But he can be really sweet sometimes...he must understand how I feel.

"Sure" I said. "I will have it here, again, tomorrow."

"You do me proud, Elektra". Dreslin kissed me this time, and then he and his mates left me alone under the bridge. And I, once again, got up heavily and started off back to the Home.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning I made sure I woke up early. I'd stolen drugs before but it was a rather tricky process. I even had breakfast with the others to hide any suspicion. I could sense Liam looking at me from across the table but I kept my head down. I knew he suspected something but it was clear he hadn't told anyone else about our little chat in the town centre yesterday.

Carmen tapped me on the shoulder. "What?" I said, a little more gruffly then I wanted.

"Umm..Well, I made this friendship bracelet for you." Carmen held it out timidly.

I surprised myself, and probably everyone else. "Uh- thanks, Carmen." I took it out her hand and hastily tied it around my wrist. Then I jumped up, grabbed my bag and ran out the door.

Dreslin had told me of several dodgy men who sold heroin. Well, it's an illegal drug- what can you expect? I knew there was a man who owned a grubby hardware store next to the petrol station who sold heroin. I would have to be very sneaky.

It was a misty day, and I decided to go sit in the park for a bit and mull things over. No one would see me from far away with all this fog.

Despite the mist, I could hear footsteps running up, coming closer and closer...what if it was Dreslin? What if he'd found out that I had stolen from him? _What if he hurt me?_

No. I was being stupid. Dre would never hurt me. He's not like that.

It wasn't Dreslin anyway. It was Liam. I expected he'd come to tease me again.

"Don't do it, Elektra." He had stopped in front of me and was looking into my eyes through the mist.

"...Do what..?" I didn't get it...how could he know?

"Oh, you know what!" He sat down next to me on the bench. "I haven't come 'ere to make fun of you or anything. I'm being serious; I saw what happened last night. There, that's my confession. I've been watching you."He crossed his arms, looked away and started tapping his foot on the ground- must be what he does when he's nervous or embarrassed. I must say it's kinda cute.

"What do you mean, h-how..." I began.

"Look, I know what you've been up to. I know Dreslin is getting you to steal drugs. But he can't be trusted, Elektra!" he turned back to me. "He'll really harm you one day, you mark my words- or you'll end up in prison, or a young offender's institute because of him!"

I suddenly felt angry. "Why do you care Liam? You always play pranks on me. You read my diary, you trash my room, you set up booby traps on me"-

"I never mean to hurt you Elektra. It's just a bit of fun. I'm a prankster and I do it to everyone. It's just I target you more because...well...it's the only time we actually get to talk."

My eyes suddenly widened. "Oh my God, you fancy me don't you?" Liam turned pink.

"I never said that, I mean you have a boyfriend...it's just, you're- you're fun to be around sometimes, even though we play cruel tricks on each other."

I couldn't help but feel touched. No one, apart from Dreslin, had spoken to me like this before. But I knew I couldn't listen to him. I had to do what I had to do.

"Liam, I have to go. I _must_ get some, and you know it." I got up and walked away from the bench as swiftly as possible. Liam didn't call after me this time. He knew he'd done what he could.

I found the petrol station in 15 minutes, despite the fog. I spotted the little corner shop next to it. The paint was peeling and the sign which read "Harley's Hardware" was falling off. I had another approach to this one. I took a deep breath and entered the shop.

The man at the counter was leaning back in his chair and smoking a ciggie. His eyes were squinted- maybe he had a hangover. He was rather big and was bald- although he did have an impressive brown bushy beard. Certainly not the type of guy many people want to mess with.

"What ya want love?" his voice was deep and gruff.

From this point my plan sprung into action. "My dad wants a standard size screwdriver, hammer and a pack of extra large nails." This is where I'd thought about it. Dres had told me that this guy kept all his expensive hardware out back to avoid people stealing them. Kind of ironic, as I was after the heroin and not the hardware.

"I'll just go geddit from the store cupboard." The man heaved himself up out of his chair and lumbered towards the door at the back of the store. As soon as he'd disappeared, I leapt over into the counter and ducked my head under to see what was there.

And I was right. I saw a box of heroin right by my nose. I grabbed as many bags as I could, stuffed them into my bag and leapt back over again.

I'd had plenty of time. The man came back after two minutes with the hammer and screwdriver. He picked up some nails for me along the way.

"Here you go, that's £20.00."

Now for the second part of the plan.

"...I just got a phone call from my dad and he says a friend has let him borrow his hardware, so he won't need it after all. But thanks anyway." I turned and started walking away. I chose not to run to avoid being found out.

But it was too late. The man must've suspected something anyway, because he suddenly roared "not so fast!", leapt up and ran towards me.

I almost reached the door but he grabbed my arm hard. He snatched my bag away from me and pinned me to the floor with my hands behind my back.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to call the police" He whispered in my ear. "I'm just gonna duff you up- good and proper!"

He was looking round for some sort of item to use on me. He had been momentarily distracted. I managed to shuffle round so I was looking up to the ceiling and I lifted my head slightly- and bit his arm, as hard as I could. The man screamed in pain. He let go of me and I let go of him. Then I jumped up and ran out of the shop as fast as I could- I had just managed to get out the store before he was up again and coming after me. He knew he wouldn't be able to catch me so he stopped a few feet away from his store as I sprinted away into the distance.

I was in a state of shock. The thought didn't even cross my mind of the risk I'd taken- or of what Dreslin's reaction was going to be.


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to hang around in town in case the man found me- or in case one of the Death's Heads gang spotted me. I was too scared to wait at the bridge- I knew Dreslin would probably be annoyed when he found out. I didn't want to let him down.

So I felt the only alternative was to return to The DG. I would try to get the heroin tomorrow- even if it was a day late surely Dreslin would be pleased I'd had the diligence to go through with it.

As soon as I walked through the door I braced myself- I was expecting some sort of prank from Liam. It often happened. When none came, I shrugged my shoulders and made for the stairs. That was strange. In fact, I hadn't had a prank played on me for _days_.

I was turning the corner of the corridor- and bumped into Liam.

"Oh, sorry!" we both said together.

"Um..."

"How was it?" Liam asked, with a worried look on his face.

I didn't know whether to tell him. But he'd known so much already and hadn't told a soul. I could trust him. "I- I got caught."

Liam's eyes widened. "What, by the police?"

I shook my head. "No, by the man who sold the heroin. He grabbed me, and...He was gonna beat me up, but I managed to get away."

We stood in silence for about a minute, not looking at each other.

"I think you should give it up, Elektra. Your desire for the drug- I can help you fight it. But Dreslin's not worth it."

"But I can't. He's counting on me."

"But I don't think you can count on him. He's bad news Elektra, and deep down, you know it."

"How do you know how I feel? You keep telling me, 'Elektra don't do it, don't do it!' You're so predictable, Liam!" I shouted angrily at him. I ran into my room and slammed the door.

I fell onto my bed. I didn't know I was crying until I lifted up my head from the pillow. It was damp. I sighed and turned to lie on my back. Everything's gonna be ok, I kept telling myself. 'You're gonna try again tomorrow, and Dres will be pleased, and you'll get the heroin you need.'

During breakfast the next day I decided to go for a walk. Try and find some other places to get the heroin.

"Why do you always go out all the time?" Tee asked me.

"Because I want to, brat." I took another bite out of my toast.

"Well...it's good to see you're eating properly for once" Mike said.

"Can we come with you, Elektra? Can we, can we?" Carmen batted her eyelashes at me.

I sighed with annoyance and got up and left the room. Liam hadn't talked to me for the whole of breakfast. I felt rather bad- he had just been trying to protect me. Wow, it sounds weird saying that about Liam...

It was raining, but I didn't have a raincoat. I decided to go to get a coffee as I felt so tired. I had a little money.

But suddenly, I felt a hand grab me as I walked along the pavement next to the park. My screams were muffled by the arm around my neck. They dragged me off to a place- don't remember where. It was in some sort of ware house down an alleyway.

They entered a shabby room, still dragging me with them. It was not until I heard a voice did I know who they were.

"Put her there."

It was Dreslin, of course. I was thrown to the ground onto my hands and knees. I was panting for breath. I looked up and it was Dres for sure, with 2 of his gang members with him. He had his arms folded and he was looking down at me.

"Dres, I'm sorry I didn't come yesterday, it's just, I was nearly caught and-" I panted, but he silenced me.

"Shut up, Elektra. It's not just that. I know your little secret, and you are going to be punished." He kicked me hard in the stomach, and I recoiled in pain on the floor. I gritted my teeth.

"So you thought it was wise to steal some of my precious heroin. Why did you do it Elektra?" He kicked me again, hard.

"I- I was craving it so badly, I'm sorry, please, you must understand-" He grabbed me by the hair and I whimpered. He held up my face to his.

"You chose to satisfy your craving over me then? I thought you cared about me, you bitch!" He punched me in the face and the other guys laughed. But then he bent over and looked at me lying on the floor. "I'm gonna make you a deal." He spoke in that dangerously soft voice- like he used to. "You have 2 weeks to get your act together and replace all the heroin that you nicked from me. If not...well, by what you have just experienced, it'll be ten times worse."

He got back up and grinned evilly down at me. "Think of it as...an act of kindness- from me." Then he and his 2 guys walked away out of the building, roaring with horrible laughter.


	5. Chapter 5

I couldn't believe it. How could he do this to me? I gingerly got up off the floor. I didn't have a mirror. Hopefully I wasn't too bruised.

I put my hood up to cover my face and kept my head down. I didn't know what the staff at the dg would think of me. They might suspect something...

I really had no choice but to go back. Surely I could make up an excuse? I couldn't really think straight. I felt rather dizzy and winded, but I had to get back to the dumping ground to clear up my bruises.

I limped all the way back. I decided to sneak in through the back door to narrow the risk of anyone seeing me. Luckily everyone was in the games room.

As soon as I reached the stairs I decided to make a run for it to my bedroom. But then I saw Johnny- coming my way! I bent my head down further and ran past him.

Johnny's eyes followed me as I went past. "Elektra, what-" he began, but by this time I was slamming the door of my room shut.

I held my breath and peered into the mirror above my drawer. I had a big bruise above my left cheek. I had a cut across my nose, though I have NO idea how it got there. I took off my shirt and there were purple bruises on my stomach. I gingerly touched the bruises but they hurt terribly. I let out a cry of pain- and there was a knock on my door.

"Are you ok, Elektra?" Of course, it was Liam. "I heard you moaning."

"Um...I'm fine; I just...stubbed my toe."

It was a lousy fib, and he entered the room anyway.

"_Liam_!" I covered my front with my t-shirt. "I'm topless! Now get out!"

But Liam wouldn't. He was staring at the bruises on my face. He walked towards me and stopped right in front of me.

"Dreslin did this, didn't he?" he whispered.

I sighed. The only option was to tell the truth. Liam knew all about it anyway.

"Yes."

"Elektra, we _have_ to tell Tracy."

"Liam, I can't...you know that the police will find out that I have been stealing all this stuff! I'll end up in an institute...or...or prison." I must've started crying because Liam suddenly put his arms around me. I cried into his shoulder.

"Listen, we'll get through this. We won't tell them the whole story. We'll just say...you were beaten up in the street, but you don't know who it was. Mugged, maybe-then we'll figure something out about Dreslin-"

"-No." I drew away from him. "Dres is ok. He just...lost it back there. Wouldn't you be angry if someone who you trusted stole something from you?"

"Yes, but I'd never beat them up because of it."Liam replied. "Look, we're not telling them who it is. We're just saying you got beaten up- randomly."

I looked him straight in the eyes and knew he could be trusted. I didn't see an annoying kid who always liked to play pranks anymore- I saw someone much more mature and caring.

"Let's do it- oh, I should probably put my shirt back on first..."

We went downstairs together and found Tracy playing hide and seek with Harry. When she saw us walking towards her she gasped.

"Oh my God, Elektra, what happened to you?" She ran over to me and put her hands on my shoulders.

"I was attacked in the street" I said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "I don't know who it was, and I don't know why- they may have been trying to mug me."

Tracy then raised her eyebrows. "This hasn't got anything to do with your boyfriend has it?"

I suddenly let the anger inside me tear out. "WHY DOES EVERYONE AUTOMATICALLY BLAME PEOPLE'S BOYFRIENDS!" I shouted. "I KNOW IT WASN'T DRES. THE MAN HAD A MUCH LOWER VOICE AND SOUNDED MUCH OLDER! There, tell THAT to the police!"

This seemed to have worked, because Tracy took a step back slightly. "Alright, alright, I believe you." She sighed. "But I have to call the police."

I thanked Tracy and Liam and I turned to leave.

"Whoa, not so fast." Tracy had her arms crossed. "Uh- Liam, how come you're hanging out with Elektra, anyway? You two are arch enemies!"

Liam looked embarrassed. "Err, yeah- I was setting up a...prank for Elektra when I saw her arrive... I couldn't do nothing when she was covered in bruises!" He laughed nervously.

"Ok, Liam. I know how to make you too become friends. Elektra, you're not to leave the house for a week. I'm not having you going out like that and getting beaten up even more. Liam, you need to keep your eye on Elektra, look after her, and make sure she doesn't try to sneak out. Got it?"

"Got it" Liam and I said together.

"Good. Now I'm going to tell Gina and Mike about what happened. Then we'll call the police." Tracy turned away and left the room. I think I noticed a slight grin on her face.

Liam and I just stood next to each other for a few moments.

"Well" Liam said. "I guess I'm stuck with you."

"Yeah." I couldn't help but smile at him. "Guess you are."


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I haven't updated for a few days, ppl! Thanks for all the nice reviews! Here is the next part of the story. Hope you like! ^^**

* * *

For the whole week I didn't think about Dres at all, nor did I think of what was to come. I just felt so relaxed and happy that for once I didn't really have to _do _anything. Even though I was trapped in the home I had good time. The other kids were really nice to me and weren't too annoying. Carmen gave me a friendship bracelet- I wouldn't be seen dead wearing it- but I guess it was sweet of her. I played hide and seek with Harry and Jeff and played video games with Johnny. The staff didn't complain when I got up late or stayed in my PJ's all day.

Liam was really sweet to me too. We talked about our favourite bands and watched horror movies together late at night. He would stay with me all the time and I guess I would find it annoying if I didn't like him much, but that's the thing- he's changed a lot over the past few weeks. I dare say he is the closest person to me now.

It was a Monday- a week since I had encountered Dres and his gang. From tomorrow, I would be a free girl. Still, I sighed thinking for the first time in ages about what I had to do for Dres.

I spent the morning planning what to do in order to get the drugs. I decided to hatch a new plan. This time, I wouldn't steal the drugs- I would buy them. Of course, finding the money was another issue...but I knew someone who had a lot of money now. Someone who had used her foster mother's money to publish her own autobiography, and had now sold all the books. I knew Tracy must keep that cash in the bank account, ready to give back to Cam. And Tracy was such an easy target because she's so gullible. Once I had the money, I would simply skip off to a druggie seller I knew I hadn't been to before. Sorted.

Gina was calling everyone for lunch so I headed downstairs. Everyone was at the table, apart from...

"Hey, where's Liam?" I looked up at Tracy who was handing out sandwiches.

"I think he's still upstairs, he should be down in a minute," Tracy grinned at me.

He didn't arrive till we were half way through lunch. He looked worried, and after a few minutes leaned across the table to me.

"Meet me at the toy cupboard after lunch" he whispered into my ear.

When lunch was over, I followed Liam to the toy cupboard. All the other kids stampeded off to the other far corners of the DG to watch TV or play on the computer. We both squeezed into the dark cupboard and Liam shut the door tight. He turned on the light.

"So what is it you wanna talk to me about?"

Liam turned towards me. "I know what you're planning to do Elektra, and I'm asking you one last time- please, don't do it."

I frowned at him. "What are you talking about...?" but then I knew. He must've sneaked into my room when he was going down to lunch. He must've seen the stuff I'd written down to get the drugs for Dres. I felt angry and disappointed at the same time. "Why did you go into my room? You know that's against the rules-"

"-But Elektra, you know that stealing Tracy's money would be ten times worse than breaking any rules in this place. Just give Dres up. Enjoy the summer holidays while you can."

I sighed. It looked like I would have to lie to Liam. I really had to do this. Already I was feeling the need for drugs. I didn't know if my body would be able to cope without them for much longer. And I wouldn't succeed if I had Liam nagging at me all the time.

"Ok, Liam, you're right. I won't do this anymore. I'll try and keep away from Dreslin and give up on the drugs." My face drew closer to his. "I promise?"

Liam smiled at me and at once looked more relaxed. Clearly he trusted me. "I just care about you, Elektra." He said. "Now, let's get out of this stuffy toy cupboard." He put his hand on the door handle...but the door wouldn't budge! We heard some muffled sniggering coming from the other side of the door, and some shadows creeping about at the bottom.

"Hey, let us out!" Liam shouted, but the scum who had been there had already run off as fast as their scrawny legs would carry them. Liam tried to force the door open several times but it seemed that someone had managed to lock the cupboard door from the outside. It was no use.

"Well that's just brilliant." I sighed. "We'll probably be stuck here for hours. No one can hear us in here, and you know that...from past events." Then I surprised myself. "Liam, I'm sorry I locked you in the cupboard so many times. And...For everything else I did to you." I turned away. "I was so silly."

Liam laughed. "Oh, it's ok. It was my bad. I always provoked you. Plus I played pranks on you. But we were young- well, we still are. And I'm sorry too. So we're quits, yeah?" He held out his hand.

"Yeah" I replied. "Quits." And we shook hands. But subconsciously neither of us let go of each other's hands. There was a brief silence- and suddenly, without thinking, I lunged forward and started kissing Liam profusely. He must've been quite shocked but caught on after a few moments and started kissing me back. It was a rather fierce make-out session- I felt Liam push me up against the wall of the cupboard and we were pressed so close together I could barely breathe- but I liked it.

I realised I'd automatically closed my eyes and when I opened them for a second, Liam's eyes were closed too. I decided to make this more interesting. I pushed my tongue into his mouth and he did the same to me. We both started breathing heavily as our tongues wove in between each other and our lips crushed together. We must've been kissing for at least 10 minutes. Liam was starting to run his hand along my back and I knew, from that moment, that he was the one I wanted...

"Liam? Elektra? Are you in there?" It was Mike, calling us from outside. We broke apart instantly.

"Yeah, some brat locked us out" Liam replied. We grinned at each other, not feeling even slightly abashed.

Mike unlocked the door for us. He sighed. "I really wish the kids around here could stop being so mischievous. Sorry about that." He walked away into the kitchen.

Liam looked at me then, and said, "Well I can honestly say, Elektra, from what just happened, I wouldn't mind us two getting locked in the toy cupboard another day."


	7. Chapter 7

Although we weren't embarrassed about what we'd done that day in the toy cupboard, I decided we should keep our relationship a secret, and Liam agreed with me. As well as being constantly teased and asked questions by the immature younger kids who wouldn't understand, there was still a tiny chance that Dres might find out. And although I still cared about him, he had been depriving me of the affection I needed from a proper boyfriend. So you could say I have two boyfriends now, but it probably seems like I've turned into a slag...

Anyway, Liam asked me if I wanted to play Call of Duty on the xbox with him that Monday night, but I told him I was too tired. I was going to have to wake up early for the first part of my plan.

Again, I chose not to get dressed into my PJs. The process would be a lot more efficient that way. I quickly brushed my teeth, went back to my room, flicked off the light switch and jumped into bed.

It's much harder to get to sleep when you actually try. As well as this my head was buzzing with things that had happened this week and with what was going to happen tomorrow. Although it was 9:30 I didn't fall asleep until 11, and by this time almost everyone was in bed.

I'd set the alarm clock on my phone for 5:30 am. As soon as I heard it go off I rolled out of bed so I didn't fall asleep again, and turned the wretched thing off. Luckily it didn't wake anyone else up.

I quickly put my converses on and took my purple raincoat for extra measures (I could hear it was raining outside). The front door keys were in the office and I didn't want to risk it so I decided to climb out of my bedroom window. It's quite a long way down to the ground but lucky for me there's a long vine which managed to grow up the wall of the building right next to my bedroom. Although it was early it was already getting light as it was summer. I crept away and disappeared into the bushes.

I felt bad for doing this to Tracy- especially as she had gained trust in me- but I had no choice. I knew Tracy would have her bank details somewhere in her foster mother's house. Luckily Cam was away on a writer's course in New York, and Tracy would have left the house by 6 to get to the Dumping Ground.

It was going to take about half hour to get to Tracy's house by foot. I didn't want to risk her spotting me as she drove to work so I was taking a different route. I knew where the house was- Tracy often lets us older kids come round. It seemed as if the entire city was deserted. I hoped none of Dreslin's Death Heads guys were lurking in the shadows.

When I reached the house, her car was still in the driveway. _As usual, Tracy is always late_, I thought fondly in my head. After about 10 minutes of waiting in the bushes, I heard a door being opened. I peered out. It was Tracy, leaving at last. I waited until I heard the car drive off, and for 5 minutes more, just to be certain she wasn't coming back.

Thankfully I hadn't seen Tracy turning on a house alarm as she left. Clearly Cam didn't have top notch security. I decided to go round back as it would be more hidden. I was expecting to have to break a window, but I was delighted to see that silly Tracy had left a window open at the back! It was humid, even though it was raining. I almost laughed at my good fortune.

The window was just big enough for me to squeeze through- losing all that weight really had its advantages. It just so happened that I'd entered Tracy's room. Only the ground floor belonged to Cam, so this made it a little easier to find any information.

I looked round Tracy's cluttered room and sighed. It was going to take a while to find any details but at least I wasn't pushed for time.

As I sifted through Tracy's belongings- rough notes, shopping lists, pages with random scrawl on it- I kept on wondering whether I was doing the right thing. Liam was right. I felt really selfish for doing this to Tracy. But I'd gone too far now- I had to carry on.

After about an hour's searching, I found Tracy's bank account details in an envelope under her bed. I'd found it much sooner than expected. I quickly grabbed a pen and paper off Tracy's desk and wrote down the details I would need. Then I put it back exactly where it was before.

I made sure that everything else was back like it was before I left. Then I sneaked back out through Tracy's window and crept back to the DG.

It was 8:00 when I got back, and the kids were just starting to wake up. Thank goodness no one had decided to check on me. I climbed back up the vine and clambered through my bedroom window. I hid the bank details under my pillow. Then I jumped back into bed, so as to seem like I hadn't even faced Tuesday morning yet.

I couldn't hack the bank account until late at night when there was no one around, as the computer was in the games room and I would definitely be caught. So, I could relax for the rest of the day and even go out somewhere, maybe with Liam- as long as we made sure Dres didn't see us.

At 8:30 I got up out of bed and went downstairs to have breakfast. Liam stopped me in the corridor.

"Hi, Elektra, do you want to go to the cinema with me later? I mean, seeing as you're not trapped in here anymore..."

I smiled. "Sure, but we'll just have to make sure Dreslin doesn't spot us."

Just then, Frank passed us. Liam turned round and called his name.

"Hey Frank, do you want to come with us?"

Frank just stopped, turned and looked at us. He didn't have an expression on his face, though I could tell he seemed a little sad.

"No...I'm alright" was all he said. He turned back and walked off.

"I don't know what's gotten into him lately," Liam said to me.

I was surprised at his ignorance. "Well you have been hanging around with me a lot." I replied. "Doesn't that ring a bell?"

"I guess you're right." Liam sighed. "But Frank doesn't have to be...jealous. I've just been looking out for you, that's all."

I decided I should quickly change the subject.

"So what movies are on at the moment?"

"I thought we could go to see Paranormal Activity- there's a showing at 4:30. Is that ok with you?"

"Yeah, that's good" I said, turning towards the stairs. "C'mon, let's get breakfast."


	8. Chapter 8

At 4:00, Liam and I left the DG to see the film.  
"Just be careful" Tracy said anxiously to us as we left. "Take care of her, Liam."

"Eh? I don't need looking after!" I snapped, turning my head back and strutting away with Liam. He laughed.

"You're so funny, Elektra, even though you don't mean to be."

Although Liam was with me, I still felt scared that Dres might see us. I'd changed into clothes I rarely wore- a black and grey checked skirt and a purple blouse and I'd even tied up my hair so Dres wouldn't recognise me. I was constantly looking over my shoulder just to make sure no one was lurking around, following us.

"I don't think you should worry so much" Liam said to me. "It's broad daylight- Dres isn't gonna ambush you at this time of day. Besides, you're finished with him now."

I tried not to think about Dres anymore. When we reached the cinema I took out money to pay, but Liam grabbed my hand.

"No, it's on me." Liam paid for both of us. I smiled.

"Thanks..."

The theatre was almost empty and the adverts were rolling on the screen when we got there. We decided to sit at the very back.

"Pity Frank didn't want to come," I said to Liam.

"To be honest Elektra, I prefer that it's just the two of us."

I blinked. "But Frank...he's your best ever friend, right?"

Liam sighed. "I just don't know anymore. He used to be. But now we're getting older, and...well, our relationship with each other has changed a lot. Frank gets pretty irritated if I do the slightest thing, and it was always both of us who pranked you, remember? But now...I've fallen for you, and Frank is feeling left out."

I suddenly felt awful. Although Liam couldn't see my tears as it was dark in the theatre my voice went all shaky. "But I don't want to get between you and Frank" I said. "I've done too many bad things in my life already. I just want to stop." Liam put his arm round me.

"It's Frank's decision if he wants to carry on being my friend or not. You have nothing to do with it...look, the movie's starting. Just relax, yeah?"

I watched about half way through the movie until I was beginning to feel tired. I leant my head against Liam's shoulder and he kissed my forehead. I snuggled into him and fell asleep.

* * *

_It was pitch black. I was conscious even though I could see nothing. I was sitting on the floor. I put my arms out but I could feel nothing around me. But then...I heard a voice. A deep, ominous voice calling my name. A voice I clearly recognised. Could it really be Dres?_

_All of a sudden, a light flickered on. I covered my eyes at the sudden brightness. The room was grey and musty, and there was no furniture. But I looked behind me, and there was a tall, dark figure in a long black trench coat. His eyes were shadowed so they looked almost hollow. It was Dres._

_Dres began to laugh, the laugh getting louder and louder in my head, until it was so loud I had to cover my ears. Then it stopped. I looked back to Dres. I saw he was holding...a long, sharp blade. And on the blade, blood was dripping from it onto the floor. It was dripping so rapidly that a huge puddle was beginning to spread and it was coming towards me, fast..._

_I shuffled backwards in horror...but then I bumped into something else behind me. It felt like a body. I whipped round. And lying face down on the floor, wearing a leather jacket and baggy jeans which were covered in blood, was Liam. I let out a little scream. I managed to turn Liam onto his back. His eyes were shut and blood was leaking from his mouth. There was a massive stab wound in his chest. _

"_Liam? Liam, wake up! WAKE UP!" I shook him like crazy, even though I knew he was dead._

"_It's no use." Dres spoke to me for the first time. "He's gone. And you, traitor, will join him shortly..."_

_He began walking towards me. I panicked. When he reached me he raised the knife, and I screamed in terror..._

* * *

"Elektra? Are you ok?" Liam was shaking me, and I wearily opened my eyes. I saw Liam's face staring down into mine. The cinema screen was blaring behind him. I blinked once or twice.

"Liam, oh God, you're OK..." I cupped his face with both my hands.

"Of course I'm OK. You must've had a bad dream. How convenient while watching a horror movie!"

"But Liam, it was Dres...he...he'd _killed_ you. Blood...everywhere...he was gonna kill me too..."

"Elektra, none of that's gonna happen, it was just a _dream_. Believe me. The movie's finished now, anyway. I guess you missed the last part, right?"

I couldn't think about anything but the terrifying dream I'd just had. I had to convince myself that it wasn't real, that it was all just my imagination. I'd never thought of Dres as that terrifying before.

When we left the movie theatre it was still broad daylight and that was a comfort, but I knew that when I got back I would have to carry on with the task of getting the drugs for Dres. The only difference now was that I realised I was doing it not out of love, but out of fear.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys, you may have thought I was dead since I haven't written for AGES! Anyway, it's half term for me so I'm not as busy, and reading all those nice reviews lifts my spirits, I'm so glad you're enjoying it! So here you go- the next chapter! ^^**

Dinner was lasagne, my favourite dish, but I felt too anxious to eat. Too many things were going on in my head. That dream had changed my view on Dres completely, and I felt like I almost... hated him. The dream had felt too much like reality and now I couldn't convince myself that it was only a figment of my imagination.

"Are you sure you don't want any, lovey?" Gina asked me in a concerned voice. "We won't be having lasagne 'til next Tuesday, so you'd better have some while you can!"

"I'm OK" I replied solemnly.

I headed upstairs and decided to wait there until everyone was asleep so I could get Tracy's money. As I lay on my bed I listened to the other kids' footsteps as they all gradually disappeared to their rooms, and before I knew it I dozed off.

* * *

I awoke at 1:00am- an ideal time to creep around the DG in secret. I put on my dressing gown and, hiding Tracy's bank account stuff under it for extra measures, tiptoed downstairs to the computer in the games room. I logged on quickly and had a look at Tracy's details. The only reason I was doing this really was to make sure her credit card was valid and that she actually had enough money to spend-otherwise it would've been for nothing. Nicking her credit card tomorrow was going to be easy enough.

I used her ID and password to get onto her account and was relieved to see she had enough cash on there for me to buy twice the quantity of drugs for Dres. Maybe, just maybe...I could get some for myself, seeing as it was unlikely Dres was going to give me any... 'NO.' I told myself out loud. 'Stop being a stupid idiot. You're bad enough as it is- don't you DARE use Tracy's money to feed your own addiction.' I clenched my fists and just sat there for a while, fighting desperately to ignore the voice in my head telling me all of this was wrong, and I should just give myself up right now. But I'd gone too far to turn back now.

I forced myself away from the knot of guilt in my stomach and got back to reviewing Tracy's finances. The credit card I need was _Visa Debit._ Now all I had to do was get this card in the morning and buy the drugs.

I once again acted as normal as possible when I woke up that Wednesday. I got dressed and made sure I joined everyone for breakfast. I tried to be myself- sighing in annoyance at Carmen's never-ending questions and pushing Jeff away stubbornly when Harry asked me to play. All the time Liam was smiling at me, chatting to me like we had been best friends for years- and I didn't want the moment to end.

But by 10:00 I sprang into action. Making sure Tracy was out of the way I snuck into the kitchen and as quickly as I could, pulled out her wallet, slipped the correct credit card out, replaced the wallet and dashed out of the door.

I didn't look back once; I kept running until I reached the town centre with Tracy's card grasped tightly in my hand. I knew the pin already from her details so I had everything I needed. I took out some money at a nearby cash machine. I knew of several places which dealt with drugs, of course- word of mouth had gotten around as I'd been following the trade for a while now. This time the dealer was in a house. Number 124 on Sparrow Road-I'd walked past the place a few times.

I stopped in front of the house and peered at it. It wasn't exactly a luxury, of course; stained brown brick, cracked window, shabby roof- but then again, most of the houses were on the same par as this one. I took a deep breath, proceeded to the door and knocked loudly on it 3 times. The curtains were drawn, and I half hoped that no one was home...

The door opened. I was surprised, this time, to see it was a woman. She looked like she was in her mid 30's.

'What do you want?' Her voice was raspy and her face seemed sad and forlorn. I blinked.

'Um-I...I was wondering...never mind, I think I've come to the wrong house.' I turned and started to walk away, but the woman spoke again.

'Wait, wait...I know what you're after. Come in...'

I turned back and followed her into the house. There was a musty smell, and somewhere I could hear a baby crying. She led me up the tattered stairs into a small room- and in it was a man of similar age, counting money next to what seemed like a huge amount of heroin. He looked up.

'This girl came to buy some.' The woman turned away and went back downstairs.

'So how much d'ya want?' The man didn't look up again; just continued counting his money.

'Um...I could just take that box over there, if you don't mind.' I pointed, and he nodded.

'Very well. That's £75.'

I I handed over the money and he handed me the box. I was just about to turn and leave when suddenly the woman appeared again.

'Pete, there's this boy at the door asking for...' she turned to me. '...Elektra?' I gasped and the box fell from my hands. I ran downstairs and just as I'd feared, Liam was standing there.

'What the hell are you doing here?' I hissed.

'Exactly my question - what the hell are _you_ doing here?!'

The couple had come back down the stairs, and the man stepped forward.

'Listen, I don't want any of your jabbering in my house, I'm just doing business with you-'

'-Elektra will have her money back, please. She isn't buying these drugs,' Liam interrupted.

'But Liam-'

'-No, Elektra. This has gone too far.' He took the £75 from the man, grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me down the driveway.

'Liam-let go!'

'Listen to me, Elektra. I hope you realise how much trouble you put yourself in today. I found Tracy's details in ya room, and I can't believe you'd do such a thing! Alright, I know we used to be archenemies, but I always thought I saw something...better in you.' Liam sighed and diverted his eyes to the ground. I felt awful and angry at the same time.

'Listen- I'm sorry. It's just- Dreslin. You know he'll kill me. I'm just so lost...'

'Well, I really think it's time you told the police about this. They'll keep you safe. And I'll make sure they find Dres and arrest him for good. I promise.' He held out his arms and hugged me. The warmth of him against me made me want to just stay in that position forever, in our own little world, protected from anything that would harm us. I knew I had to trust him. Eventually we looked at each other and knew it was time to go back to the DG.

We held hands all the way back to the Home. I didn't care anymore if the other kids- or Dreslin- saw us. I knew Liam would put it right for me, that we'd work everything out together and all our problems would be solved in an instant.

But I was so wrong.

We entered the front door to find several policemen searching the room, Mike and Gina answering questions with very concerned expressions; and Tracy...standing on her own, with tears streaming down her face.


	10. Chapter 10

I felt my heard pounding in my chest. How could they have found out? I never left anything lying around...unless...

'Liam, how could you?!' I turned towards him, waiting for a reply. But he just stared straight ahead looking as worried as I was.

'...I didn't tell them, Elektra.'

Before I could even say anything, two policemen were right in front of me.

'Are you Mandy Perkins?' one of them asked. My words seemed stuck in my throat- all I could do was nod feebly.

'And do you admit to have been buying drugs illegally with somebody else's money?' the second policeman held up 2 empty syringes in front of my face. I'd realised in horror that I remembered I'd left them under my bed a couple of months ago. I swore under my breath. 'Oh, so you do recognise them, do you?' the policeman said intimidatingly. Once again I nodded. I knew now was not the time to lie.

Tracy was approaching me, still with a hurt expression on her face. Liam was gone- she must've sent him upstairs like the rest of the kids.

'Elektra, I was just beginning to trust you. I didn't imagine you'd try to use my money like this- let alone spend it on illegal drugs.'

I suddenly felt a wave of anger rush through me. 'Well, what about YOU?!' I screamed at her. 'You took Cam's money! You were arrested too! How do you think _she_ felt?!' The police began to haul me away.

'You'll be spending a while at a young offenders' unit until you've calmed down' a policeman said. I continued my uproar.

'You don't really care about me, do you? It's just money with you people! That's all that matters! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH?!'

The last thing I saw was Tracy's face with a look of guilt and sadness upon it as the doors of the Dumping Ground closed on me...and at that moment I felt like the whole world was shutting me out forever.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't remember how long I was in that cell for. It could've been days, months, years...the time between my arrest to when Tracy came to collect me has just been empty space I can't relate to even now.

I was lying on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling like I used to in my bedroom. At least I was safe...the Death Heads would never be able to get me here. My line of thought was broken when I heard the sound of a lock in a key. A young policewoman was there.

'You're going home now, Kiddo,' the woman said to me and then Tracy appeared. She was smiling nervously.

'Elektra...I'm sorry.' All of a sudden she came towards me and wrapped her arms around me tightly. I began to cry, and embraced her too.

'I'm sorry too.'

'Well, you're coming home now. They dropped the charges.'

'Great.' I picked up my small bag of belongings eagerly.

'Under one condition.' My shoulders sank again. Tracy took a deep breath as if she knew I wasn't going to like what she said. 'You have to go into rehab for 6 months.'

My eyes widened.

'What?!'

'It's for the best, Elektra. Give it a chance and it'll all be over. You want to clear up this drug problem, don't you?'

I sighed. I guess now was the time to put things right. I just didn't know what to do about Dres now. I was way too scared to tell the police...besides, they were so slow I was bound to be caught by one of the Death Heads before they had pieced together all the evidence. I decided might have to think this one through carefully.

I was checked out of the unit and we stepped outside into the car park. I breathed in the fresh air- it had felt like I'd been inside for weeks. Tracy opened the car door and gestured for me to get in.

'Let's go home and talk about it.' She said. 'Oh, and I 'm guessing you'll be wanting to see Liam! He was so worried about you. He just hasn't been himself since you got sent away.'

I sighed. I felt bad for Liam. I felt bad for Tracy. I felt bad for everyone for dragging them into my problems.

'Look...' I turned to Tracy who was driving us out of the car park. 'I really am sorry about what I said and everything. I didn't mean it...you're so nice...I just got mad.'

Tracy smiled. 'That's ok. We just care about you, Elektra. You may not realise it, but we love you. And this might surprise you even more, but Liam loves you too. Possibly the most out of all of us.'

I hoped she was right. Even so, I shook my head when she said it.

'What? Liam? Of course he doesn't love me!' I replied in my usual stubborn tone, even though I really really wanted it to be true.

Tracy's phone rang at that moment.

'Can you get that? It's in my bag...'

I reached in, fumbled for the phone and answered it.

'Hello?'

'Hi, Elektra. Hope you're ok. It's Mike. I've just rung to ask if...if Liam's with you. He hasn't been seen since morning and it's getting late.'

I froze. I suddenly realized what this meant.

'Is something the matter?' Tracy looked at me anxiously.

'Stop the car.'

There was something so overpowering in my voice that made her obey. As soon as the car had slowed down I had opened the door, jumped out and ran down the road as fast as I could, still grasping Tracy's phone in my hand.

I heard Tracy calling my name but I didn't turn back.

I reached the park, and started to follow the path I always walked down to get to the cafe.

I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. As I drew ever closer I knew I was getting nearer and nearer to the one place I dreaded most.

I turned a corner into a dark alleyway, and I saw it. The abandoned warehouse the Death Heads had taken me to loomed up in front of me. This had to be it.

I stopped for a moment, caught my breath. I had to put an end to this once and for all. I had to destroy the Death Heads.

I had to save Liam.


End file.
